The Sorting of One Freddie Weasley
by Taytay123456
Summary: A brief look into the newest bunch of the Potter-Weasley clan that are joining Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. House Sorting, budding friendships, and worries.


Fred Weasley wasn't too worried as he stood in a cluster with other First Year students. The train ride was excellent and he had tagged along with James and Dominique as they stuck Dungbombs under random compartment seats. None of them had been caught and all had shared a good laugh. He had eaten a handful of Chocolate Frogs and added a new card to his growing collection, giving his extra cards to both Hugo and Roxie. He had lots of new supplies and clothes. He wanted to explore the huge castle. He wanted to learn spells. Besides, the boat ride across the lake had been fun, especially when Fred had seen a glimpse of tentacles. He _really _wanted to see the Giant Squid up close.

Beside him, brushing his elbows was his twin, Roxie, and two of his cousins, Lily and Hugo. They were First Years, too. A quick glance around assured Fred there were plenty more cousins lingering at Gryffindor Table. They had family friends in line and at tables as well. Fred wasn't too worried, but he was a tad nervous. They waited as Deputy-Head Longbottom called out each individual by last name. A large handful went to Gryffindor followed by a smattering of Ravenclaws. One terrified looking boy nearly tripped over his school robes as he went to Slytherin Table. It took quite a while before the list reached closer to the end of the alphabet. Jasmine Longbottom, Professor Longbottom's second child, was placed in Hufflepuff. Behind her, a boy named Gerald Michaels went to Hufflepuff as well. Terry Nott went to Slytherin and walked with a proud smile on his face.

"Potter, Lily!"

The little girl beside Fred froze. Her breath gushed out and she shot a wide-eyed glance at Fred. He rubbed her elbow and grinned. "Go on, Lils. No need to be nervous. You've got this."

Lily gave a wobbly smile, nodded, and then jumped up on the dais. The Sorting Hat, frayed around the edges and looking fairly roughened, had only sat on her head for a moment before thundering, "GRYFFINDOR!"

When Professor Longbottom pulled the Hat off of her head, Lily was grinning brightly and her bright red hair was swinging about. Fred, Roxie, and Hugo clapped. Fred let out a whoop, which was joined in by James, who had jumped up from his spot at Gryffindor Table and raced to his sister, picking her up and spinning her around before carrying her, laughing, right into a sea of crimson ties. Fred was chuckling, sharing a happy look with Roxie as the rowdiness died down. Four more students went before Professor Longbottom got to the W section.

"Weasley, Hugo!"

Fred snorted and patted Hugo on the shoulder when the redhead swore under his breath in a shaky voice. Fred whispered, "You're going to do fine, Hue. Go ahead."

Roxie teased, "Don't trip or you'll look like an idiot."

Hugo glared and then slowly climbed up the dais. He sat on the rickety stool and allowed Professor Longbottom to set the Hat atop his head. All that could be seen was a mop of messy, curly ginger hair. The Hat puffed out a gush of dust after a moment and then declared, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Fred could see the tension ooze out of Hugo's shoulders as he slumped over. Professor Longbottom pulled the Hat off of his head and then Hugo stumbled off of the dais. He sent a giddy expression toward the twins before darting toward his House table, where James, Dominique, and Lily were happily waiting for him. Fred watched as Hugo and Lily hugged.

"Weasley, Roxanne!"

Roxie inhaled and muttered, "Here we go, big brother. Wish me luck."

And then she marched up to the dais, threw herself onto the stool, and looked firmly at her brother. Fred sent her a grin and a thumbs up. Roxie smiled just before the dirty, old Hat fell over her chocolate-brown eyes. Barely a moment passed before it screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Roxie jumped up, laughed, and darted down the dais to take her seat beside her family. Fred felt his heart pick up speed as Professor Longbottom looked at him and called, "Weasley, Fredrick!"

With a deep breath, Fred climbed the short set of steps quickly. His long legs made it easy for him to slip onto the stool. He glanced at the Gryffindor Table a moment before the Hat was plunked atop his head. He could see, but only just. As the seconds ticked by, Fred had to resist the urge to swing his feet. He focused on the sound of shuffling and quiet laughter. He began to frown as he became aware of the passing time. Fred heard nothing from the Hat, but had been told by his Dad and Uncle Harry that the thing was capable of talking inside one's head. He wondered if maybe they were only pulling his leg. The Hat was completely silent as far as Fred could tell.

He heard a throat clear loudly from somewhere to his right. He had to stop one foot from anxiously moving. Instead, Fred settled on tapping his fingers against the wooden stool. He muttered, "Hurry up already."

Professor Longbottom mumbled from beside him, but Fred couldn't hear what he said. He swallowed heavily as more time passed. There was a clinging of silverware and the hum of whispering. Fred couldn't stop his foot from moving now. It tapped the floor on its own accord. Fred squirmed on the seat as he heard somebody call out in an excited voice, "HATSTALL! He's a Hatstall!"

Fred inhaled sharply. His foot stopped moving as the Hat on his head jiggled about. There was a ripping sound and then a thundering shout of, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hat was removed from his head and Professor Longbottom offered a smile. Fred didn't move. He blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. Carefully, he pulled himself up and slowly walked down the dais. He made it three steps before he cast a glance toward Gryffindor Table. James and Hugo's jaws were nearly unhinged. Neither were clapping. Dominque was sending Fred sympathetic glances and Lily was staring, wide-eyed, at Roxie.

Fred's feet stopped moving on his own accord as he met his sister's eyes. She seemed sad, but she smiled. She sent him a thumbs up. Fred's lips twitched and he continued walking. The Hufflepuff Table was still politely clapping, but Longbottom's voice calling out for "Zanbini, Zelda", which meant Fred hastened to take a seat. He slipped into a spacious area toward the front of the table. A boy with black hair and brilliant blue eyes was sitting directly across from him. Fred greeted, "Hello. I'm Fred."

"Hi." The boy blushed bright red. His eyes were looking at his hands when he mumbled, "I'm Gerald. Gerald Michaels."

Just as the Zanbini girl was placed in Slytherin, Headmistress McGonagall stood. She cleared her throat and the sound echoed throughout the Great Hall. The boy named Gerald winced as the stern voice of McGonagall rang out. Fred chuckled, "She isn't that scary."

Gerald mumbled, "Why does everyone have a pointy hat? Why don't you have one?"  
Fred smiled and shrugged. "Everyone is meant to wear one for important situations like Welcoming Feast and Leaving Feast. I chose not to."

Jasmine Longbottom scooted closer to them as food suddenly popped up across various platters. Gerald jumped, startled, and stared in awe. Jasmine said, "Hey, Freddie. Isn't your name Gerald? I'm Jasmine Longbottom. It's nice to meet you."

"Hey, Jasmine." Fred replied easily, "I think Gerald is a bit overwhelmed."  
"Yeah." Gerald nodded. "Maybe a bit."

"Stick with us," Jasmine replied, "You'll be okay. It gets easier once you're used to it all."

At the end of the night, after First Years had all been shown to their dormitory, Fred sat at an unfamiliar writing desk. His trunk was at the foot of his new bed. He had met his four dormmates, one of them was named David Tatter and he seemed like a grumpy git. Unable to sleep, Fred pulled out parchment and a Self-Inking Quil. He simply wrote: _Dad. Well, I'm a Hufflepuff. Who would have thought it? They called me a Hatstall and I managed to make a rather big uproar in the Great Hall. You should have seen the look on James and Hugo's faces. Complete terror and disbelief. Roxie's in Gryffindor. I'm relieved she will have Lily with her for classes and such. Love, Freddie._

* * *

Fred hadn't worried. Maybe a bit of anxiety sat uncomfortably in his stomach, just at first, until his sister skipped across the Great Hall the next morning midway through their breakfast. She tossed herself onto the bench beside Fred and Jasmine. She asked, "Did you get your timetable yet? Do we have any classes together?"

Fred smirked, holding up a slip of paper. They both bent their heads over and read quickly. "Excellent!" Roxie said, "We have Charms, History, and Herbology together."

"Hufflepuffs always have Defense with Ravenclaws." Jasmine added as she stuffed her mouth with toast. She chewed as Roxie mumbled, "First Year Gryffindors are with Slytherins for Defense as well as Astronomy."

Fred glanced at his paper and shrugged, "We're with Ravenclaws for Astronomy."

A pretty, little redhead with emerald eyes walked their way. At her side was a round-faced blonde girl with eyes the color of jade. Lily smiled and said, "Good morning, Freddie. Jasmine. Roxie. How's everyone doing?"

Fred grinned brightly, "Hey, Lils."

Jasmine slurped juice and greeted, "Hey, Lily."

Freddie turned his attention to the girl at Lily's elbows and asked, "Who's your pretty friend?"

Lily rolled her green eyes and laughed as the blonde girl blushed. She said, "H-Hi. I'm Jessica. You're Lily's cousin?"

"One of many," Freddie replied and pointed to his sister. "This one's brother."

"What do Hufflepuffs have first this morning?" Lily asked, glancing at Freddie once more.

"Potions." Freddie and Roxie replied in unison. "With Ravenclaw."

Lily giggled, "You know your brother's timetable, but not your own, Rox?"

Roxie rolled her brown eyes. "I know we have Defense. Let's get to it, then."

Freddie pretended to be hurt when his sister thumped him in the shoulder and hurried away with Lily and Jessica. Freddie made sure to give Jessica a bright grin before she walked away. Jasmine snorted irritably from beside him. Freddie asked, "What?"

"Nothing." She said as she slung a messenger bag over her shoulder. She looked from Freddie to Gerald, who seemed mostly terrified as if he was contemplating going home at any moment. She said, "Come on, you two. We have to make it to the dungeons in ten minutes."

Freddie stood up, folding his timetable and putting it in his pockets. A thump had him turning around and offering a hand to a startled Gerald. The boy's pale skin was blushing horribly as he muttered, "These robes take getting used to. I keep tripping."  
Freddie smirked, pulling Gerald to his feet. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "You'll be fine sooner than you think. Maybe we could hem up the edges, so you don't trip."

That night, after a dinner of baked chicken and mashed potatoes, Freddie was feeling content and sleepy. After showing Jasmine the portrait off of a particular corridor and tickling the pear, they had brought back three cups of hot chocolate. In the Common Room, they and Gerald had sipped on sweet treat and practiced the first set of Charms Professor Flitwick had shown them. After an hour, Jasmine was frustrated because her Levitating Charm only allowed throw pillows to hover an inch off the floor. Gerald had managed to sling his pillow across the room and knock a Third Year in the head.

Freddie had managed to slowly drift a pillow into the air on his first try. After a jerky start, the pillow sailed smoothly through the air at the flick of Freddie's wand. He was a bit surprised, but mostly relieved that wasn't going to fall behind in Charms. After Jasmine asked if they could practice again tomorrow, she went to her dorm and the boys went to theirs. Freddie assured Gerald that he had magic and could learn control. "Think of it this way," Freddie had said, "At least the pillow moved."

A letter was waiting for him on his pillowcase. He slowly crawled into bed after changing into his pajamas. Freddie closed the curtains by hand and stared at the dark purple envelope. His name was written on the front in brilliant gold. The scrawl was messy and bulky. The seal on the back had a set of crisscrossing WWWs. With trembling hands, Freddie carefully broke the seal and pulled out the folded parchment.

_Freddie,_

_That's great! I have bragging rights at family dinners now. I have the only Weasley kid in Hufflepuff. You'll have to let me know how your classes go. I expect half of them will be dead boring, but a fair few are interesting. I'll warn you not to act up too much in Herbology or Potions. Dangerous plants and ingredients and all that. Ugh. I sound just like a stuffy, old parent now, don't I? I've sent a letter to your Mum. She'll write when she's finished her next match. Love, Dad._

_ P.S. Is the Hufflepuff Common Room really in the dungeons like I always thought it was? Did you go to the kitchens yet?_

* * *

Freddie was glad to be going home for the summer. While Roxie was making a show of not wanting to return, he knew she missed home just as much as he did. Summer was always the busiest season at their Dad's shop and they were allowed to help with all kinds of chores that really didn't feel like chores at all. Freddie missed his grandparents. Missed tinkering with Muggle equipment in the yard with Grandad. Missed baking with Gran in her tidy, little kitchen. Missed running in the garden with his youngest cousins. Missed late evening meals on the weekends with his aunts and uncles. He missed playing Quidditch with James, Dominique, Hugo and Roxie in the apple orchard at the Burrow. He even missed lazily reading underneath a shade tree with Albus and Rose, who were quite antisocial. Never before had he been so far away from his family. Even the cousins he was in school with were busy. The only family members he regularly spoke to were Roxie, Lily, and occasionally Hugo.

He felt embarrassed to admit he missed his Dad a lot. He never heard any of his cousins say they missed their Dads and it made him wonder if they did at all. When the scarlet train came to a halt at the Platform, Freddie lingered in his compartment. He had shared one with half of his family and Gerald, who had slept through most the ride. Jasmine had remained behind at the castle, choosing to Apparate with her father to the Leaky Cauldron, which was owned and ran by her mother, Hannah. For most of the ride, Freddie played Exploding Snap with Roxie and Lily. When James and Dominique came clambering into their compartment later with two older friends on their heels, Freddie had been roped into helping set off Dungbombs in the hallway.

Roxie and Lily had joined in, taking handfuls of Stink Pellets that Dominique passed them. At a particularly impressive explosion from the bathroom, in which James came tearing down the hallway with laughter and bright hazel eyes, Freddie returned to the compartment in an effort to hide. Dom was laughing and saying, "Hide! Hide! Go! That will have the Prefects coming for sure!"

And so, when Prefects came knocking on the doors with hands over their noses, Freddie played as innocently as possible along with Roxie, Lily, and Jessica. Gerald was truly innocent and startled awake by the sudden smell. The First Years managed to get away with their involvement, but James and Dom were promised a week of detention on the first day back the following year. James was quite happy with this as he waltzed off the train with Dom at his side. She was red-faced with tears leaking out of her eyes. Dom was laughing so hard when James pretended to stumble and knocked the Slytherin Prefect over. Both yanked their trunks off the train and onto the Platform, knocking shoulders with a Ravenclaw Prefect this time.

Freddie could tell, even as he stepped aside and let a group of older kids move through the crowd first, that Uncle Bill was rolling his eyes and trying not to smirk at Dom and James for their antics. It was Aunt Ginny, face set in a hard scowl as she took ahold of James by the ear, that had Uncle Bill raising his eyebrows. Dom looked at her father a bit sheepishly before Uncle Bill grabbed Dom's trunk and spoke words with Aunt Ginny. She nodded, dragging James behind her as the lot set off for the far end of the Platform. Trailing behind was Albus and Rose. The former was smirking and the latter was rolling her eyes.

Freddie startled, walking forward once Lily and Roxie had finished saying their goodbyes to friends. Freddie had offered Jessica and Gerald a wave. Each girl was pulling their trunks with grunts and plenty of effort, so Freddie took the owl cages, one in each hand. Freddie and Roxie's shared Horned Owl, Lolli, was hooting indignantly every time Lily's white and tan Barn Owl, Biscuit, touched her cage. By the time they made it to the cluster of redheads at the end of the Platform, Freddie was grimacing from the noisy animals.

"Here, let me help." Uncle Ron said, stepping forward to take Biscuit's cage. With the opposite hand, he scooped up Lily's trunk. The small girl was panting when she said, "Thanks."

"No problem." He replied, "Bill, Gin, and most the kids headed for the Burrow a moment ago. We're just waiting on Hugo."

"Oh, he was talking to a girl." Roxie giggled and shared an amused look with Lily. It was Freddie who winced and stated, "Oi! Don't tattle on him."

"I know my daughter isn't snitching on someone, is she?" A deep and dramatic voice claimed. Freddie, who had been handing off Lolli's cage to Roxie while taking ahold of her trunk, suddenly let the trunk hit the ground with a _thunk. _He whirled around and darted right into his father's chest, wrapping his arms around the man's slim waist and holding him tightly.

He gasped, "I missed you, Dad."

Nearly before the worlds had finished leaving his mouth, big palms with slim fingers were on his shoulders and squeezing gently. George said, "I missed you too, Freddie."

"Are we going to the Burrow?" He asked, voice muffled.

"You and Roxie are. I have a few more hours before I close shop. I took a lunch break now."

"Can I go with you? I can sweep the floors or put up stock." Freddie asked quickly.

A hand pet his hair once and said, "Sure. If that's what you want."

Freddie could hear the girls giggling as Hugo came running to them. The boy panted, "Sorry. Got busy talking. What did I miss? Oh, Fred, really, mate? Jessica is right there and she's going to see you looking like a baby. Won't talk to you after that."

Freddie just squeezed even harder, his cheeks burning with embarrassment, as he inhaled the scent of laundry detergent and gunpowder. He muttered, "Don't care."

"Lay off, Hugo." Roxie said suddenly, "So what if we missed our Dad?"

And then Roxie was wrapping spindly arms around the both of them and George was chuckling. Freddie felt his shoulder finally relax. He had his Dad, who didn't care if he was a Hufflepuff. He had kind friends and a family who treated him just the same as they always had. All was well.


End file.
